When Autumn Arrives
by Midori-Apple
Summary: "Goodbye Naruto, my little boy. I hope you'll grow up strong and happy," she whispered. "Goodbye Minato, I love you…"  My life, I will give it so they can be happy. My life so he'll never be alone. One day we'll meet again in a new setting.
1. Kushina

A new story from me. Well the first one on this account. I have written this some time ago and I didn't wanted to publish this without finishing this story first. Now I'm putting it on anyways. I just want some feedback on this story. Should I continue or not?

I do want you to know that I'm a slow updater. I need a boost of inspiration to write. I notice that when I'm to busy I can't find motivation or peace to do so. I apologize in advance. If you are looking for a fast updated story and I you hate waiting then please do not read this story or any of my stories!

Feel free to leave comments and reviews. If you don't like things in this story let me know what and why. The same goes for liking the story. I'm here to learn and I need others to help me with this. Thanks!

I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 1: Kushina**

The nights were slowly growing colder, the end of September drawing near, marking the final weeks of the summer. It was a clear night and thousand's of stars were lighting the sky. The streets were silent, as the people of the hidden village of Konoha continued to slumber, until the sun would rise.

Everything seemed peaceful, but in one house in the village a young woman tossed and turned in her sleep. Tears were dampening the pillow she was laying on as the nightmare continued to hold her in its clutches. Feeling the restlessness from the woman that slept next to him, a man woke and sat up. He gently shook her, trying to wake her.

"Kushina," the man called. "Wake up."

The young woman awoke with a gasp and her hands instantly went to her swollen stomach, rubbing it. The man next to her looked at her, worry glazing his azure blue eyes. The young woman's green eyes met his and she hugged him. The act seemed despaired, as if she was scared that he would disappear that second.

"Minato," the woman, Kushina whispered as she buried her head in the crook of his neck, tears still running down her face.

The man, Minato, hugged her back and rubbed her back with soothing motions, trying to take the fears away from her.

"It's okay, I'm here," he said gently.

Kushina pushed back from him a little, to look into the eyes she so loved. Those kind and gentle eyes always calmed her, made her feel safe. Minato looked at her in question, when her hand went back to her stomach, rubbing it nervously.

"Kushina?" he questioned.

"I'm scared," she whispered. "What if…."

Her voice died down and another tear escaped from her eye. Minato put his hand on top of hers to stop her nervous rubbing.

"He is a strong kid," he answered, looking at her stomach. "He is our child and we'll be here for him."

Kushina wiped the tear away and smiled at her husband, having calmed down a bit.

"Who says it isn't going to be a girl?" she asked, her smile turning into a cheeky one.

Minato laughed, kissing her forehead.

"You were the one that was loudly exclaiming that we're having a son, after you saw Sensei's book."

"Naruto," she whispered.

"That's right."

"Well maybe I have changed my mind. I mean, what if the pervert rubs off on him."

A scowl appeared on her face and Minato couldn't help but chuckle. Kushina was never boring.

"Through a name?" he questioned.

A sigh escaped from her lips and she yawned.

"Just so you know, I'm not letting that pervert anywhere near our child."

Kushina gave her husband a kiss and lied back down. She heard a chuckle and felt Minato lying down too, putting his arms around her. She listened to his breathing that slowly evened out as he went back to the world of slumber. A sigh escapes from Kushina's lips once more as she thought about the nightmare. Was that all it was, a nightmare? A cold feeling spread throughout her body.

"I just hope your right Minato," she whispered, before falling into a peaceful sleep this time.

A few days later Minato came home from a long day of work. If he had known that the role of Hokage had meant doing all that paperwork, he might have reconsidered on taking the job.

He smiled as he entered his house. When everything stayed silent he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Kushina?"

Normally his wife would be there to give him a warm welcome. Especially since she was pregnant and off duty for the time being. He searched the house, but found no sign of his wife. Just when he was about to panic, he heard the door open.

"Where have you been?" he asked as he embraced her.

"Just out for a walk, saying a little prayer," she answered and returned the embrace.

Minato let go of his wife and looked at her in question.

"The only shrine close to here is the one of the Shinigami, the god of death."

Kushina just smiled at him. "It never hurts to have a lot of gods watching over you."

She walked passed Minato, taking off her shoes. Minato looked at her, not knowing how to respond. His wife walked to the kitchen and started cooking their dinner, while softly humming.

Sure Kushina had her moments from time to time, in fact she was quite unpredictable. This just stunned him, but it wouldn't be her last trip to the shrine.

**0000000000000**

Panic was grasping the village of the hidden leaf as the red chakra filled the streets. People were screaming and crying. Loved ones had died and the end of this horror was no where in sight. No one had ever expected that a demon would come for their village on what should have been a day of celebration. No one had even dared to think of it, but one person.

Kushina was currently in the hospital. Early this morning she had gone into labour and Minato had taken her there. He had been next to her bed all the time, calming his nervous wife. The past few days she had been on the edge, as if waiting for something terrible to happen. To Minato it didn't make any sense. Kushina was never one to get so nervous and worried. Still whatever he did, she never seemed to really calm down anymore and nightmares continued to hunt her. He had asked her what was wrong, but she always avoided his question. When she was crying she blamed it on hormones. Minato was lost.

The contractions had come slowly, the child not showing any sign of coming into this world yet. A few hours had passed and Minato was holding Kushina's hand, the contractions now coming faster and faster. The weather had turned and the rain was falling. He smiled at her, trying to calm her a little, when the door flew open. Minato let go of his wife's hand and turned to the door. His former Sensei or the pervert, as Kushina called him, stood in the doorway. His normal smiling face was serious and grim.

"Minato, they need you," the man had said, his voice a little unstable. "A demon has set eyes on the village."

Minato's eyes were open wide and he glanced at his wife.

"Go," she said smiling sadly, but with reinsurance.

Minato looked at his former Sensei and back to Kushina.

"Stay with her," he said as he passed the man on his way out of the room. The man nodded and gave him a pat on his shoulder.

"Be careful out there."

Minato nodded and left the room, into the chaos that was his beloved village. The man, Jiraiya, took Minato's place next to Kushina. Her face was pale and it would show pain when a contraction passed.

"Hey old perv," Kushina addressed the man. Jiraiya turned towards the woman and wanted to snort, but he held it when he saw the serious look on her face.

"Could you do me a favour?" she pointed at a bag that was in the corner of the room. "There is a letter in there. Will you give it to Minato for me?"

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you give it to him when he returns?"

A sad smile crossed her features, before turning to a look of pain. Her child would be born soon and she knew there wasn't much time left. How she had hoped that Minato had been right, but everything had gone as she feared.

"Please just give it to him," she begged.

A doctor came into the room, checking on Kushina, in between the chaos. He was followed by a member of ANBU.

"Jiraiya-sama, you are needed sir," the ANBU said.

Jiraiya stood, but felt a small hand grasping his wrist.

"Please," she whispered.

He nodded and she let go of his wrist. He walked to the bag, took the letter out and put it in his robes.

"Stay safe," he said before leaving the room, with the ANBU following him.

"Thank you," she whispered and then she screamed, as a very painful contraction hit. The doctor told her that the child needed to get out, fast. With everything she had, she pushed her child into the world. A cry was heard and the Hokage's first son was born.

Kushina felt the life draining from her, but held on. It wasn't time just yet. The doctor handed her, her son, congratulating her. Kushina looked at her little boy. He had a little dot of golden hair, the same colour as his fathers. He was so perfect, from his little nose, tiny fingers that were wrapped around hers to his little feet. The little boy opened his eyes and looked up to his mother. Kushina smiled and tears started to fall from her eyes. Those beautiful eyes, just like his fathers.

"It's the way it should be," she silently whispered.

The doctor was called away and he left the room, excusing himself. Kushina just sat there, clinging onto life, looking at her son. A dark shadow came into the room and the wind had picked up, the now falling rain, was pounding against the windows. The little boy in her arms started crying, with soft frightened cries. Kushina held him close and started to sing a lullaby that her mother had sang to her when she was a child:

"_Little child, be not afraid  
>The rain pounds harsh against the glass<br>Like an unwanted stranger  
>There is no danger<br>I am here tonight_

_Little child_  
><em>Be not afraid<em>  
><em>Though thunder explodes<em>  
><em>And lightning flash<em>  
><em>Illuminates your tearstained face<em>  
><em>I am here tonight<em>

_And someday you'll know_  
><em>That nature is so<em>  
><em>This same rain that draws you near me<em>  
><em>Falls on rivers and land<em>  
><em>And forests and sand<em>  
><em>Makes the beautiful world that you see<em>  
><em>In the morning<em>

_Little child_  
><em>Be not afraid<em>  
><em>The storm clouds mask your beloved moon<em>  
><em>And its candlelight beams<em>  
><em>Still keep pleasant dreams<em>  
><em>I am here tonight<em>

_Little child_  
><em>Be not afraid<em>  
><em>The wind makes creatures of our trees<em>  
><em>And the branches to hands<em>  
><em>They're not real, understand<em>  
><em>And I am here tonight<em>

_And someday you'll know_  
><em>That nature is so<em>  
><em>This same rain that draws you near me<em>  
><em>Falls on rivers and land<em>  
><em>And forest and sand<em>  
><em>Makes the beautiful world that you see<em>  
><em>In the morning"<em>

The boy fell into a slumber and as Kushina sang on, she stroked his soft cheek, taking in every detail of his tiny face.

_"For you know, once even I_  
><em>Was a little child<em>  
><em>And I was afraid<em>  
><em>But a gentle someone always came<em>  
><em>To dry all my tears<em>  
><em>Trade sweet sleep for fears<em>  
><em>And to give a kiss goodnight<em>

_Well, now I am grown_  
><em>And these days have shown<em>  
><em>Rain's a part of how life goes<em>  
><em>But it's dark and it's late<em>  
><em>So I'll hold you and wait<em>  
><em>'til your frightened eyes do close<em>

_And I hope that you'll know_  
><em>That nature is so<em>  
><em>This same rain that draws you near me<em>  
><em>Falls on rivers and land<em>  
><em>And forests and sand<em>  
><em>Makes the beautiful world that you see<em>  
><em>In the morning<em>

_Everything's fine in the morning_  
><em>The rain will be gone in the morning<em>

_…"  
>(Vienna<em>_Teng__ – __Lullaby __for a __stormy __night)_

A new member from ANBU, with his dog mask on the side of his head, that she recognised as her husbands student came into the room. He walked towards her bed, a sad look on his face. His clothes were torn and dirty. She kissed her sons forehead and handed the boy her child. The boy gave her a surprised look. He hadn't said a word yet, how did she know what he came for.

"Take care of him," she said a sad smile on her pale face.

The boy still looked at her stunned.

"Go! There is not much time!"

He nodded and left the room, the little child safely hidden in his arms. Kushina watched them disappear as she felt a presence next to her. She looked it in the eye, without fear.

"It is time," its emotionless voice said.

Kushina looked outside one last time.

"Goodbye Naruto, my little boy. I hope you'll grow up strong and happy," she whispered. "Goodbye Minato, I love you…"

Then she closed her forest green eyes, never to open them again.

**0000000000000**

In a room in the Hokage tower, Minato finished his seal. He put his last bit of chakra into sealing half of the demon fox's chakra into his newborn son. He waited for the Shinigami to come and claim his life, but it never came. Minato's world turned black as he passed out from exhaustion and he heard her final words.

"Goodbye Minato, I love you…"

Minato awoke to a dark sky and a deafening silence. He sat up and looked around the white hospital room, not recognizing it. His feeling told him something was terribly wrong, but his mind couldn't seem to wrap around the why. He knew that the silence was strange and that he shouldn't be in the room he was in.

As he was trying to search his memories for any clues, the door of his room opened. A man with long white hair and red stripes on his face, who he recognised as his old sensei stepped in the room. Around his mouth played a gentle but sad smile and in his arms he held a small bundle that was crying in distress. Minato's former sensei walked to the bed and handed him the little bundle. Minato looked at the little child in wonder and that was when the memories came back. This was his son.

Kushina had gone in labour and he had taken her to the hospital. He had been by her side until ANBU notified him of the Kyuubi's attack. He had gone there, no choice but to leave his wife. When arriving at the battle field on his toad summon, he met a scene of panic. Fighting the Kyuubi had been a difficult task, because nothing seemed to be able to stop the demon. That was when he remembered a seal he had studied. That seal could end the rampage of the demon and save the village. There was a cost though; he needed to seal the demon within someone who could contain it. In his mind's eye he had seen his wife and he made a decision, he would seal the demon within his child. The other cost didn't faze him that much, giving his life was just part of his job as the Hokage. He had to keep the village safe, no matter what. The thought of never seeing his child grow, had been tough, but he had to act fast.

Jiraiya had come and helped him set the seal. Half of the fox's chakra had been sealed into the Shinigami and the other half within his son. He was going to die to save the village, but then why was he still alive?

Minato looked at his son, who now had stopped crying. The little boy looked at his father with his big blue eyes. Minato gave the boy a small smile, before tracing the marks that were now on the boys face. The marks where the scars that showed the evidence of the demon that was sealed inside him.

Minato looked up to Jiraiya, who was still standing next to the bed. He gave him a questioned look.

"How?"

"I'm not sure," his former sensei answered. "But I think you should read this."

Jiraiya handed him the letter that Kushina had begged him to deliver to her husband. Minato took the letter from the man, holding his son in one arm and opening the letter with his free hand. He gasped as he recognised the handwriting.

"Kushina," he whispered.

_To my beloved Minato,_

_I don't know how to start this, but if you read this it means that dreams or better said nightmares do come true sometimes. I can't tell you how sorry I am that I'm not here anymore._

_In my dreams I have seen our son, he is so beautiful. For him it is that I made this decision. I've seen the Kyuubi's attack, you giving your life to save the village, making your only son a hero. _

_I've seen myself giving birth to our son, Naruto and dying._

_I have seen Naruto grow up without us in a village that is supposed to see him as a hero. They never saw him as Naruto. The only thing they saw was the Kyuubi that murdered their loved ones. I do not wish that loneliness upon our son. He deserves lots of love and happiness. _

_At first I thought it was just a nightmare, but when it returned nearly every night I couldn't let go of the fear anymore. I went to the shrine to pray to the Shinigami. I went there often and my prayers were answered. I made a deal with the Shinigami: When you would sacrifice yourself, I would take your place._

_So please Minato don't be angry. I was to die, even if you would have died. I know that I can't take the sadness away, but I hope you will continue on even if I'm not there. _

_Take care of our little Naruto. I know that even though people will not believe it, he will grow up to be a great man, just like you. Please love him as much as possible. I am not sad, because I know that Naruto has a great father and that you have a beautiful son. The only thing I wished is that I could be there for him growing up. I know it is hard task to care of a child by yourself, but I believe in you._

_For you, the one I love I will give my life without a second thought. I wish you happiness and sunny days. Stay safe Mina-chan._

_Remember that no matter where I am I will always love you and Naruto and watch over you two._

_Kushina_

Minato read the letter several times, not believing the words that were on the paper. He looked at Jiraiya, hoping he would tell him his wife was fine. All he got was another sad look. His inside turn to ice as realisation dawned on him. Kushina was gone. Why had he not seen, all the times that he woke up, Kushina tossing and turning next to him and the several unexplained trips to the shrine. Tears gathered in his eyes when he remembered the smile she had given him when he had left her side. The tears were now falling from his eyes, onto the letter. The words he had heard before blacking out, her words. Why?

"Minato… I'm sorry," the voice of his former sensei said. He felt a hand on his shoulder and Minato looked up to the man.

"She knew," he said, his voice shaking. "She knew what was going to happen and she…"

Jiraiya took the letter from Minato, reading it with wide eyes.

"This is impossible." Jiraiya said.

Minato looked at his son, who was still looking at him. The little boy stretched out his little arms to Minato. He gave the boy a smile through his tears and held him close. The little boys eyes closed and he fell asleep, safely is his fathers arms.

Minato felt some of the sadness leave him as he watched his son sleep. Kushina was right, he was really beautiful. Jiraiya put the letter on the nightstand and watched the two.

"It all seems so unreal," Minato said, breaking the silence.

Jiraiya was just about to answer when the door flew open. Minato's silver haired student barged into the room, his face worried. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his sensei awake and well.

"I thought you wouldn't survive," the boy said, sighing relieved.

Minato looked at his student a gentle look on his face.

"Well, as you can see I'm still alive and kicking."

The boy walked towards Minato and Jiraiya gave him room to stand next to the bed. The boy looked at the little bundle sleeping in his sensei's arms.

"Kakashi, this is Naruto, my son," Minato said and he gave the boy his precious little bundle. Kakashi took the boy, nervously, not wanting to hurt or wake the tiny child.

"He looks just like you sensei," Kakashi said with a smile that could be seen trough his mask. "Kushina-san must be happy."

Minato's smile disappeared and he looked away. Kakashi looked at his sensei in question, before glancing at Jiraiya.

"I think she is happy," Minato answered, forcing his tears back.

"Sensei, why do you say that like she's …" Kakashi couldn't finish the sentence, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"She died, not long after the kid was born," Jiraiya explained.

Kakashi looked from Jiraiya to his sensei, who now had tears gliding down his face.

"Kushina gave her life so Minato could live," Jiraiya continued. "When the demon fox was sealed within Naruto, Minato was supposed to die, but Kushina took his place."

Kakashi looked shocked, before turning his gaze on the little boy in his arms. He had thought the marks on the boys face where strange, but now he understood, why his sensei had asked him to get his son form Kushina's room. This boy held that demon that had done so much damage and had caused al that pain. Kakashi didn't know what to feel towards the boy or if he should be scared.

Minato wiped his tears away and looked at Kakashi as several emotion were displayed on the boy's face. He knew how much Kakashi cared about Kushina, seeing that he had never know his own mother.

Kakashi looked to his sensei and back to Naruto and a smile graced the boy's lips. He gently strokes the little boy's cheek.

"The little hero of the village," he said gently. "Isn't that what Kushina would say?"

Minato smiled at this comment. It was indeed what Kushina would say. It made him happy to hear Kakashi say that. Kushina would always be remembered and although she was now gone, a part of her was in Naruto, flowing in his blood. He was the last and best gift that Kushina had given to this world and Minato would make sure that he was happy and safe.

Jiraiya put a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and Kakashi returned Naruto to his father's arms.

"Get some rest Minato," Jiraiya said before leaving the room with Kakashi.

"Well it's you and me now, little man," Minato said to the sleeping boy. "Someday, when you're old enough I will tell you all the stories about your mom."

He kissed the boys forehead and looked outside to see the stars spread across the sky.

"I love you Kushina and I always will."


	2. The most important thing

The second chapter, but before that I'd first like to thank everyone that favourite, put on an alert, reviewed and read this story! Writing is one thing but having people read it is really amazing :D

Something that you should know is that the time line in my story is different then in the original manga/anime. There are some events that are the same as the original story, but the when is usually different. It may seem weird at times, but it's needed for the story. Also since Minato is alive things just don't end up the same. If at any point of the story you have questions about this or anything else please let me know.

I also like to thank my beta and muse UpBeat!

Well then on with the story!

I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 2: The most important thing**

Even though sometimes it seems like time seemed to stand still, almost 5 years passed by really fast and Naruto would soon turn five. Minato couldn't help but smile at the little bouncy child of sunshine. He was a copy of his father, with his mother's personality. He was quite the handful at times.

Minato hadn't had the easiest parenthood start. Naruto used to cry a lot and at points there was no calming him. No matter how close Minato would hold him or the songs he sang, the boy was always restless. He knew that the little one missed his mother. He had been safely hidden within his mother's womb for nine months and suddenly when he came into the world she wasn't there for him anymore. Minato also suspected that having the Kyuubi's chakra within him wasn't something that made the little baby feel comfortable.

_Minato awoke from the cries that told him that someone was hungry. He got out of bed with a groan. It had taken him hours that night to put the little boy to sleep and now he had to get up again. Naruto was two months old now and his before soft cries were now loud and filled the entire house. He was glad he had gotten some time off his job, so he could learn how to deal with a newborn child. Sarutobi had taken over a lot of his work, so he could get enough sleep and time to adapt to his new life. He had been really nervous when he had taken Naruto home. He had no idea how to take care of a little child. Sure he had done those babysitting missions, but this was different. First of all it was 24/7 and second it was his own child. He was so scared of hurting him and of being a bad father. His first lesson to learn that babies picked up uneasiness fairly easy and it made them uneasy as well. _

_Just like tonight, he had been sad and he missed Kushina so much. Naruto had reacted to it instantly, refusing to go to sleep. He had tried everything, but every time the little boy had fallen asleep in his arms, he would wake again when he was put in his crib. When he had finally put the boy to sleep it was close midnight and now he was awake again._

_Minato really loved his son, but all these broken nights were taking its toll. He sighed and dragged himself to his son's room. He took him from his crib and went to the kitchen to get Naruto his bottle. He had gotten pretty good at balancing his son with one arm and preparing the formula with his free hand._

_Naruto went quiet when he finally got his bottle. The little boy finished the bottle quickly and looked at his father with his big blue eyes. Minato took Naruto back to his room and put him in his crib. The boy just looked at him when he was put down and Minato took this as a good sign. He left the room, but as soon as he came to his own room the cries were heard again. Minato went into his room, figuring that his son would cry himself to sleep. Some of the book he had gotten stated that babies sometimes needed to cry a while before falling asleep. It had also worked before, so there was no hurt in trying. Minato got into bed ad listened to the boy crying, hoping he would soon fall asleep. The gods had no mercy on Minato, as the cries turned into despaired ones. He got up and took another trip to his son's room taking him from his crib._

"_Just sleep, you must be exhausted by now," Minato said to the crying boy, as he held him close._

_Minato sighed and took the boy with him to his own room. He sat on his bed, rocking the little boy. His cries stopped and he studied his father again. Minato smiled down at his son. The boy's eyes slowly drifted shut. Minato just kept looking at the boy, until he also fell asleep, sitting up, with his son secured in his arms._

As the years passed Naruto became less restless. When his first birthday came closer his crying became less and less. Minato was glad, because he hated to see his son in that much distress. His little boy was his pride, the last thing Kushina left him.

Now he watched the little boy run around in the autumn sun, driving his old student crazy. Kakashi had been a help, babysitting when he was free. Without him he didn't know how he would manage. Being a single father and Hokage wasn't the best match in the world. The fact that he was also losing faith in his own village wasn't helping. Every time there were those looks when he took Naruto outside, looks of hate and sometimes fear. When he first noticed that no one could ever see his son as a hero he made the rule that people are not allowed to speak of what truly happened on October the tenth, almost five years ago. He didn't want the young generation to hate his son, before they even got to know him. It saddened him though, how all the parents kept their children away from Naruto.

The elders weren't happy about Naruto living in the village either. They wanted him executed, not believing that Naruto was his son and not a demon. They tried their best to have him resign as Hokage, but he wouldn't give that position up just yet. At least not until he had found someone to replace him, someone he trusted. He would keep his son safe, no matter what happened.

He just hoped that time would allow Naruto to be happy a little while longer. He didn't seem to notice the stares and whispers just yet, but Minato was no fool. He knew that Naruto wasn't in for an easy life. He would have to fight harder than any other and at some point Minato wouldn't be able to protect him. As long as he could Minato would keep that harsh world away from Naruto.

He felt a new chakra sign appear next to him.

"Can't you use the door?" Minato asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" his former sensei asked, a grin gracing his lips.

"Well maybe. So, what brings you here? I thought you were on a research mission."

"So harsh," Jiraiya said with a pout. "Here I was expecting you would have missed me a lot."

Minato just smiled at the comment. His former sensei would probably never take anything serious. He knew that his former sensei knew that missing him would go without saying. Minato always saw Jiraiya as the father he never had.

"So what has gotten you down?" Jiraiya asked.

"Who says I'm down?"

"You suck at lying," Jiraiya said simply.

"The elders have been nagging lately. They want me to resign," Minato explained.

"Those old idiots!"

Minato smiled a little at Jiraiya's reaction. Minato was used to this now. It was the third time over the last two years that they asked him to leave the position of Hokage. The only problem was that the council was agreeing this time. It meant that he had no other choice.

"They have been going on about this ever since Naruto was born. I'm thinking about it," Minato calmly stated.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"The council wants me to resign as well. I don't have much of a choice left."

"Minato, don't let those fools make you believe that you're not doing your job right."

"I have been thinking about it before," Minato explained.

He looked at Kakashi, who was chasing after Naruto. The boy had gotten a hold of his former student's favourite orange book and refused to return it. Kakashi stopped to look at Jiraiya and Minato talking, wondering what had gotten them so serious. Minato smiled at him and Kakashi focussed on the little boy again.

"I can't be a good father like this," Minato continued. "I hardly have any time for him these days."

Jiraiya sighed at this comment. He knew that this day would arrive, but he had hoped that Minato would stay Hokage a bit longer than that.

"I haven't told anyone yet, so I hope you will keep quiet about this for a while."

"Naturally," Jiraiya answered. "What about your successor?"

"I don't know yet. I was kind of hoping you would take over," Minato joked, knowing that his former sensei would never take over his position.

"Only if I get twenty hot babes to relieve me from all the stress."

Minato laughed at his comment.

"Daddy, hide me!"

The little boy hid behind his father's legs, still holding the orange book. Kakashi walked towards them, a little annoyed now.

"Naruto, give Kakashi his book back," Minato said to the boy.

"But dad, he has to catch me first!"

"Look kid, you're too young to read that book anyways," Kakashi explained.

The little boy pouted and handed the book the grey haired man. He sat down on the ground, his arms crossed, sulking.

"Hey kid, you'll get the next version when I'm done writing it," Jiraiya said, kneeling down to the boy's level.

Minato shot his former sensei a look, not approving of the books that he wrote and especially not in the hands of his son. Jiraiya felt holes being burned into his head and he quickly stood.

"Come on, he is going to be a big man one day," he defended.

Minato didn't say anything, but continued to glare.

"Sorry kid, I'm afraid that you're gonna have to wait 'till your eighteenth birthday," Jiraiya apologised. "Your dad doesn't want you to read them just yet."

Naruto looked at him with his big blue eyes.

"How come?" the little boy asked.

"There are some things in there that are not for kid's eyes," Kakashi explained.

"Oh, they're dirty books!" the boy exclaimed happily and then pointed to Kakashi's book. "Like that one."

Both the white and grey haired male blushed. Minato couldn't help but chuckle. He had already told his son to stay away from his former sensei's books until he was older. When the boy asked him why, he explained that there were things in there only for adults. Why Naruto had labelled them the dirty books he didn't know.

"That's right," Minato said and both the other males were bright red by now.

Minato couldn't help but laugh now. Two grown men silenced by a four year old. Naruto looked at his father who was now clutching his sides. He didn't understand what was so funny, it was just dirty a book, right? When Minato was done laughing he picked his son up.

"Let's make some dinner," he said to Naruto.

"Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed.

"No ramen today," he said and Naruto pouted and gave him a puppy eyed look. Minato chuckled, he had known that look from the boys mother, so he was immune to it.

"Very cute," he said, before turning to Kakashi and Jiraiya. "Are you two staying over for dinner?"

"No, I have to train tomorrow," Kakashi answered. "So I'll be leaving now."

Naruto squirmed into his dad's arms and Minato put him down.

"Will you come and play tomorrow?" the boy asked, tugging Kakashi's pants.

"No, maybe another day. I have a lot to do," Kakashi explained. "Be nice to your dad, okay."

"Okay," the boy said with cute pout.

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. Naruto had become pretty attached to Kakashi, since he was the one who would almost always look after Naruto when Minato was to busy with work.

"See you later," Kakashi said and he left in a swirl of leaves.

"So what about you?" Minato asked, addressing his former sensei.

"Well, I can't skip out on a free dinner."

Minato chuckled he started walking towards the house with Naruto and Jiraiya following him. He still wondered why Jiraiya was visiting. Probably his former sensei wasn't just staying for the free dinner.

After dinner Minato put Naruto in bed. The little boy fell asleep right away, being tired from running around all day. Minato walked down stairs and sat down at the dinner table where his former sensei was.

"I swear that kid is your clone," he joked.

"On the outside maybe, but the inside…"

"Quite the handful I recon?"

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Minato answered with a smile.

And it was true. He was so happy that the boy had so many things that reminded him of his late wife. The way he pouted when things didn't go his way, the puppy dog eyes and most off all that he was so incredibly unpredictable.

"Why did you come to visit? I doubt it's just to eat."

"Am I that easy to read?" Jiraiya said adding a sigh for the drama. "To be honest I was hearing strange things about the council and the elders. I just had to make sure what was going on."

"Were you that worried about me?" Minato joked.

"Don't get your hopes up kid. I must say I'm surprised though, I never thought you were thinking about resigning."

"I just want to be there for Naruto," Minato explained. "I need him to be happy and to protect him and I can't protect him when I always have to work."

Jiraiya studied Minato's now serious face. Minato knew his former sensei wasn't happy about him resigning.

"You can't always protect him, besides if you resign as Hokage you will be sent on missions again and you'll be even further away. I know you have thought about this too."

Minato let out a sigh, since when did he become that easy to read? Being able to protect Naruto was only part of the reason, but could he really say it out loud?

"Yes I have thought about that. They hate him, Jiraiya. I have seen all the looks he gets when I take him out. I may pretend not to notice, but I'm not an idiot."

"Minato, I hate to say it, but what would you think if you were in their shoes?"

"I would never judge a baby on something that wasn't his decision! He is not a demon!"

"Really, and if the Kyuubi was the one that killed your son and wife?"

"I know where you're going with this. He is my son, what do you want me to do?"

Minato put his face in his hands. If he had known all of this he would have never sealed the demon within his son. With that one decision he sealed the boy's faith, giving him a life full of burdens. How could he have believed that everyone would see his son as a hero? What Jiraiya said was right; he would also hold a grudge against the one that ripped the life from his loved ones. If only they could see Naruto for what he was, a little ball of sunshine.

"I know it's painful, but think about all of it a bit more. If you're no longer Hokage then who will protect Naruto from the village? Minato, you're one of the best Hokage's Konoha has ever known. Don't just give up on that."

"I know, but if even the council is going to back up the elders, then what can I do?"

"Ignore them, they can't kick you out as long as they don't have proof of you not functioning properly," Jiraiya said with a smile. "And if you still want to resign then find a proper successor."

"One way or another I won't be able to do this for a long period of time."

Jiraiya sighed and looked at his former student. The man looked tired and desperation could be seen in those blue depths. He knew that things never would be the same after the Kyuubi had attacked the village, but he had not seen this one coming. Minato no longer wanted to protect the village was not a good thing. Jiraiya knew that Minato still loved the village, but he could also understand the love for his son. Things would have been a lot easier if they had gone according to plan. The Kyuubi to be sealed in Naruto, the village to be saved and both the Hokage as his son would be honoured as heroes. Losing Kushina had been difficult for Minato and being a single parent of the demon of the village and Hokage was stressful. How could he blame the man for wanting to resign? How he wished that everyone could see Naruto through Minato's eyes, through his eyes, then how could you not love the little kid?

"Minato, can I even talk you out of this?"

"I know that what I am doing is running away, but I don't think I will regret it."

"I take it you have made up your mind?"

Minato raised his head to face his former sensei. He looked him straight in the eye, knowing that answer. "Yes."

"Although I don't really agree I understand you reasoning. I probably would have done the same, to be honest. I might as well help a little."

"What do you mean?"

"I know someone who could make a great fifth Hokage," Jiraiya said, winking.

Minato raised a brow. "Who do you have in mind?"

"You remember Tsunade?"

"Of course I do. You're thinking about her being the next Hokage?"

"Yes, she would make a great Hokage. Who wouldn't want the best medic-nin to become Hokage?"

Minato thought about this. He hadn't seen Tsunade in a long time. He remembered her very well from the time he was still training under Jiraiya. Jiraiya would always hit on her, leaving him with numerous bruises. She was one tough lady, that was for sure. Also her reputation has a medic-nin was indeed well known. Next to that his former sensei trusted her.

"Alright, if you recommend her then I can't possibly object," Minato said, a foxy smile playing around his lips.

"Very nice," Jiraiya commented. "There is only one problem…"

"Problem?"

"I have to find her," he answered. "It has been a long time since I have spoken to her. Also you have to talk her into it."

Minato gave him a look. What good would a successor do if she wasn't even willing to take the job? Sometimes he really wondered about his former sensei. His idea's were pretty good, but there was always that but.

"Come on, you know she can't resist your begging look. Do I have to remind you of all the times you were able to get her to pay for all the ramen you ate?"

Minato gave his sensei a sceptical look. Maybe that worked when he was still a kid, besides that was food. This was something completely different. We were talking about the responsibility over an entire village, a lot of paperwork, nagging elders and complaints. Okay there were some good sides too, but knowing Tsunade that certainly wouldn't be the first she would associate with being Hokage.

"You know this is a long shot," Minato sighed.

"You don't know until we try. Just give me the time to find her, I'll get her to the village."

"How long do you need?"

"Give me about a year, maybe a little longer."

"That is a long time to find one person."

"I need some time to persuade her," Jiraiya explained.

"Alright, can you bring her back within one and a half year?"

"Yes, that will be fine."

Jiraiya stood and smiled at his former student. "Don't worry, I know she will take the job. Just give it some time and have faith."

"Sometimes I wonder why I trust you this much," Minato said jokingly.

"I will pretend I didn't hear that. Just one more thing, make sure no one knows until I'm back. I don't want the elders to have more power then they should. Don't listen to them or the council; they have nothing to make you resign."

"Don't worry, I know. I will be waiting until you're back then."

"Okay, well I'll see you later kid."

"Keep me updated."

"Sure," Jiraiya said and with that he left through the window. Minato shook his head, what was going on with everyone he knew always using the window? Then again, probably he wasn't any better either. Minato chuckled a little, remembering Kushina always scolding him for his bad manners. He stood up, cleaning up some toys, before turning off the lights. He slowly walks upstairs, feeling tired. He just hoped that Jiraiya would succeed. He didn't want to be a Hokage that the villagers and the council wouldn't trust. He couldn't do the things they asked from him, if it meant betraying his own son. His feet carried him to the little boy's room and he watched him sleep, softly running his hand through the blond locks. A gentle smile played around his lips, he would do anything for the boy's happiness.

**That was it for chapter two.**

**If you have any questions feel free to ask and please review!**

**Edit 21-12-2011: Put in Naruto's correct age in this chapter.**


	3. Ramenboy of Sunshine

Here is another chapter! I'm doing well on the update part. I will try to keep the regular updating up and expect new updates every Monday. Just note that I have a period of less school, so I might be busy again later on. For now I will do my best to get a chapter out every week.

Thanks again for all the reviews, faves and alerts. They really motivate me to keep on writing!

I also like to thank my muse and beta Upbeat for her hard work on the story!

I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 3: Ramenboy of Sunshine**

A little boy woke up when the first rays of sun came through the curtains. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Still a little sleepy he climbed out of his bed, walked towards the window, to open the curtains a little more. The boy smiled at the clear blue skies and the sun that shone happily above Konoha. In two days it would be his birthday and he would be turning five. Naruto didn't know if he should be happy or not. His father was always busy around that time, because of the festival. Mostly it was very boring, because he had to stay in until his dad was done with his talking, a speech, or something, before he could attend the festival. They would only stay for an hour and then go back home. His dad would never let go of his hand and a lot of villagers would stare at him. At first he didn't think anything of it and he would just ignore the mean stares. But now he wondered about the villagers. They would always look very angry when they saw him, but he didn't understand why, he had never done anything wrong. He called them the strange people. The bad thing was that the list of strange people got longer every time. Somehow he could never forget those faces, when they looked at him that angry. Sometimes he would have scary dreams about it. A chill went down his spine. No, he wasn't really looking forward to that, because lately some of the strange people had gotten even stranger. Not to long ago he had sneaked out of the house when Kakashi was staying over. Kakashi wasn't paying attention, because he was reading his dirty book. He had gone out of the window, like he had seen Jiraiya do sometimes. He had taken some of his pocket money that he had hidden to buy some candy. When he came in the store, the owner, one of the strange people, came to him and literally kicked him out of the store. When he had asked why, the man had hit him, telling him that he should never come back. He called him a demon. He knew that the Kyuubi, which his dad had defeated, was called a demon. That thing had killed a lot of people and made a lot of villagers sad, because they were all alone now. Then why had the man called him a demon, he had never made anyone sad right? That man wasn't the only one, sometimes when his dad couldn't hear they would whisper strange things, like: "See that boy, why do they let him out, that demon." Or "How can Hokage-sama stand to be around that demon." He could never go out without the looks and slowly he was getting scared.

The blond boy turned his back to the window. His dad, Kakashi and Jiraiya said he was a good kid, that they loved him. So then that was true, right?

The boy shook his head, getting confused. He ran to his father's bedroom. The older blond was still sleeping. The little boy, Naruto walked over towards the bed, but stopped when he saw the picture on the nightstand. He picked it up and looked at it; in the picture were a man and a woman. The man was standing behind the woman and he had his arms around her. They were both smiling happily. Naruto had often asked about the picture. His father had told him that the woman with him in the picture was his mother. When he had asked where she was, his father had looked at him for a while. His eyes had turned a little sad. After a while he had answered that she had died and was a star in the sky now.

Naruto had often wanted to hear stories about is mother, but he didn't like to ask, because his dad always looked sad when he talked about her. His father told Naruto that he missed her a lot. Naruto didn't understand. Of course he wondered about his mother, but he had never known her. His mom had died when he was born. Maybe it was his fault, because he was born and then she became a star. If that was true then maybe he was bad, because he had made his dad sad. He shuddered a little from the thought.

He put the picture back on the nightstand and poked his head under the blanket, crawling unto the bed, to the side where his dad was sleeping. He searched for his target, when he found it, he snuggled close to the body heat.

The source of the body heat moved a little. Naruto looked up into identical blue eyes. His father looked at him with sleepy eyes and smiled. He put his arms around the boy, closing his eyes again. The boy didn't protest and snuggled close.

Minato was glad, it was a little early to get up. He would only get up early when he really had to. As Hokage he had the luck of getting to sleep in from time to time. Mostly Naruto would just drag him out of bed when he was awake, not that he was complaining, it was just a little strange that the boy was sleeping again. He yawned and tried to get back to sleep, he would worry about it later. Soon he joined his son in the land of slumber, to be awoken a couple of hours later, when the said son was moving around, trying to get free from his fathers hold. Minato loosened his hold on the boy and opened his eyes. The boy poked his head out from under the blankets. The boy loved to sleep with the blankets covering him entirely. At first Minato was scared he would suffocate, but seeing that the boy was still alive, he let it be.

"Done sleeping?" he asked the boy, while stroking his hair.

Naruto nodded and ducked away from his father's hand, getting out of the bed. Minato closed his eyes a little more, counting. It took Naruto ten seconds to be next to his side of the bed, tugging on his arm.

"Dad, let's go make breakfast."

Minato sighed and got up. Well he got to sleep longer then usual. He sat up, throwing the blankets off him. Naruto looked at him with a grin, before dashing out of the room, probably towards the kitchen. Minato got out of bed and stretched, before walking to the kitchen himself. When he arrived there he saw the blond boy standing on a chair, trying to reach for the top cupboard. Minato looked amused as the boy got on his tiptoes to reach a bit higher. Minato walked towards him.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

Naruto stiffened a bit, got off his tiptoes and turned around. He looked at his dad with his most innocent look. Minato simply raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"I was looking for breakfast."

"In the top cupboard?"

Naruto now looked at his father with pleading puppy dog eyes. Minato knew that look, even if he hadn't known what was in that cupboard, he could've easily guessed. He picked the boy up from the chair and gave him a look.

"Since when do we eat ramen for breakfast?" he asked the boy.

"Today!" the boy exclaimed with a happy smile.

Minato couldn't help but chuckle. That boy was never short of comebacks, just like his mother. It was really amazing how much Naruto took after his mother character wise. Most that saw him assumed otherwise.

"Nice try kiddo, but no," Minato said with a smile. He put Naruto on the closest chair. The boy crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks, sulking.

Minato shook his head as he went to prepare some sandwiches. When he was done he placed a plate in front of his son, before sitting down himself. He looked over Naruto who was still sulking. Minato finished his breakfast and washed his dishes. He ruffled the little boy his hair and kneeled down at his level.

"You might want to eat that before Kakashi comes here."

Naruto turned away from him, leaving Minato to look at his back. Minato raised his eyebrow again. It was one of those days. From time to time Naruto just had to get what he wanted and if his puppy or as it was dubbed, ramen look, didn't work, he would sulk and ignore. Minato however was used to it and Naruto would always drop it at one point.

He picked up his sons plate and put the sandwiches in foil. He could hear Naruto turning around, but he didn't pay any attention to it, pretending he didn't notice.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked.

"Well I'm going to work soon and I need to take lunch and these sandwiches aren't getting eaten," Minato explained, smiling at his son. Naruto blinked twice and got off the chair, but instead of trying to get the food from his dad, like normally, he walked away.

Minato looked at his son, confused. This was a first, normally Naruto would always eat. He let the sandwiches be and followed his son, who was now sulking on the couch looking at the weather channel. He sat down next to the boy and studied him. Naruto wasn't really watching the TV screen, but seemed lost in his own world.

"Naruto, did something happen?"

Naruto looked at his father, surprised. He didn't know what to tell, there was so much in his head that he didn't know what to tell. He was scared, because of the festival that was going to be, he didn't want to go. But it was stupid to tell his dad that, he didn't want his dad to think he was a chicken. He was going to be a shinobi and from all the stories he knew that shinobi weren't chickens.

Minato watched the boy struggle with whatever was in his thoughts, before the boy smiled. Minato was surprised, but before he could react the boy got up from the couch, running to the kitchen, snatching the sandwiches. He walked back to his dad happily chewing the sandwiches. Naruto looked at his dad, who was chuckling and he smiled. No he wasn't going to tell his dad, because he didn't want to see his dad upset, because he was a chicken.

Naruto looked up when he heard someone walk in. He quickly finished his sandwich and ran to the silver haired man, who just came in. Kakashi picked the boy up.

"How did you come in?" Minato asked his former student, before holding up a hand. "Wait, I know… the window."

Minato sighed as Kakashi just shrugged and Naruto was laughing. Minato couldn't really blame him, since it used to be his habit as well.

"What a great example you guys are," Minato said anyways, while placing his head in his hand.

"That's a little late now sensei," Kakashi laughed. "I wonder who taught me that, though."

Minato didn't answer and just glared. His gaze went to the little boy that Kakashi was holding. Even though Naruto was laughing and seemed perfectly fine now, something was off. Naruto never walked out on food like that, ever. Minato wondered what could have happened. Searching his memories he couldn't find anything useful.

"Sensei!"

Minato came out of his daze looking at Kakashi, who looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, what…"

"I was saying that you're going to be late if you stand there any longer, not that I mind."

Minato looked at Kakashi, not understanding, before looking at the clock.

"Shoot!"

He quickly grabbed his things, ruffling Naruto's hair, before dashing out of the house. Kakashi chuckled and put the boy down. When he was on time for a change, his sensei was late. Kakashi felt a tug at his pants. Naruto looked up at him with his big blue eyes, waiting for Kakashi to say what they were going to do today.

"How about we go out into the village for a bit?" Kakashi proposed. Naruto looked up at him with a look he couldn't place.

"Okay," he answered with a shrug. Kakashi took the door this time, as he guided the little boy out. Naruto walked next to Kakashi as they walked towards the shopping district of the village.

"I have to get some groceries," Kakashi said as he dug up a list from his pocket. "Will you help me?"

Naruto nodded and they continued to walk towards the store in silence. The boy hesitated, before getting into the store, clearly remembering that day that he wanted to buy candy. As they walked there he had already seen the looks from the strange people and it made him nervous.

"Naruto?"

Kakashi studied the boy, as he stood there not entering the store. Naruto heard him and he quickly entered the store, his head bowed lowly.

"Something wrong?"

Naruto shook his head and looked up to Kakashi, a smile placed on his face. Kakashi decided to drop it for now, it was probably just a phase or something.

"Could you get me some eggs?" Kakashi asked the boy.

The boy nodded happily and dashed off; he always loved doing small tasks. Kakashi chuckled at this. Naruto ran through the store, searching for eggs. He was so happy with his task that he forgot about his fear. When he found the eggs he carefully took a box from the shelf and went to find Kakashi. He kept his attention on the box as he walked, careful not to drop it. Suddenly he walked into something solid, the eggs in the box breaking in the process.

"Watch where you're going," a familiar voice said. Naruto looked up and saw the face of the shopkeeper. The face of the man changed in one of anger and hate when he recognised the boy's face.

"Look at what you have done, demon! Didn't I tell you to stay out?" the man hissed.

Naruto looked up to the man, slightly trembling. He couldn't move or speak. The man was huge and Naruto didn't like the way he looked at him.

"Well, what are you still doing here?" the man snarled, pushing Naruto. Not expecting this, the boy tripped and fell over. Tears sprang in his eyes from the impact of the floor. He could feel the man coming closer to him, but he didn't dare move.

"Naruto?" Kakashi's voice said. "What happened?"

The man moved away from Naruto. "The boy ran around with this box of eggs and tripped."

Kakashi looked at the shopkeeper that started to clean the eggs of the floor. Naruto sat up, tears in his eyes.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked, as he picked the boy up.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but closed it when he saw the man giving him another angry look. "I tripped…"

"Be careful next time, okay?"

Naruto nodded and hid his face in Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi paid for his groceries and he walked out of the store, carrying Naruto with one arm and holding the groceries with the other. He didn't believe the boy had just tripped. Naruto wasn't one to get this upset about just that. Back in the house he dropped the groceries and put Naruto down. The boy hadn't said a word on the walk back to his sensei's house, he had just hidden his face in Kakashi's shoulder. He kneeled down to the boy's level.

"Did something bad happen?"

Naruto looked at him, his big blue eyes open wide. The look turned into a frown, with the blue eyes cast to the ground.

"I broke the eggs," Naruto answered, looking at Kakashi. "Dad always says I have to be careful."

Kakashi was taken aback by this answer. "Are you sure?"

"You're weird," Naruto said and he looked at Kakashi with one raised eyebrow. Kakashi chuckled; Minato had given him the exact same look many times. Naruto was really his former sensei's clone. His look now turned to a frown. Kakashi ruffled his hair. Naruto ducked away and put his hands on his head, glaring at the silver haired man. Kakashi picked the boy up, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

" 'Kashi! Not fair, let me down!" The boy wriggled around, trying to get down.

"Nope, we're going to make lunch."

The boy stopped moving. "Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!"

"No pancakes?"

"Ramen! Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!" the boy kept chanting.

Kakashi sighed as he put the boy down. He looked at the now well formed, as his sensei called it, ramen look.

"Any normal kid would prefer pancakes." Kakashi tried.

"Ramen!"

"Fine, ramen it is," Kakashi gave in. He was happy that the boy was acting his usual self.

"Yay!" The boy exclaimed, hugging Kakashi's legs.

When Naruto let go of his legs he started preparing their lunch.

After dinner Minato came home. Today had been utter hell. There was so much that needed to been done for the festival, that he didn't even have time to get Naruto a birthday present. Next to that the elders had been nagging again. They had asked him where he had sent Jiraiya for the nth time. The elders wanted to know where Jiraiya had gone, but Minato figured it wasn't a good idea for them to know. He didn't want to leave prematurely and ruin the idea of getting a good successor. The only one who knew about the plan other then him and Jiraiya was Sarutobi-sama. Minato was happy that he agreed on the idea and tried to keep the elders out of Minato's hair as much as possible.

"Welcome back sensei," Kakashi greeted him.

Minato smiled at him and sat down on the couch. Naruto climbed on his lap, studying his father with his big blue eyes. Minato smiled at him and closed his eyes a bit.

"You okay?" Kakashi asked him.

"Yeah, there is just too much work that needs to be done. I swear, all that planning and paperwork is far more tiring than any level S mission," Minato answered, smiling weakly.

Kakashi chuckled at that. He knew what S classed missions were like, for he had been with ANBU for a while. His former sensei had taken him off though, when he noticed that Kakashi only did the work to be away from the village. Kakashi had drowned himself in missions shortly after the Kyuubi's attack. When Naruto was three Minato had taken Kakashi off the ANBU-squad. Now Kakashi was mostly looking after Naruto. He was going to go back on doing more missions when Naruto would start at the academy. He would be installed in a new job though. Minato had asked him to become a jounin sensei for the new Genin that graduated from the academy, when Naruto was ready for the academy.

Naruto got bored and climbed of his fathers lap, searching for something more interesting. Both Kakashi and Minato studied him.

"Sensei, did something happen?"

Minato looked at Kakashi, not understanding, when he saw his former student looking at his son. He didn't answer the question, for he didn't know himself.

"Naruto has been acting a little strange and it keeps nagging me," Kakashi explained.

"I wish I could tell you…" Minato asnwered. He hoped that Naruto would stay oblivious a bit longer.

"I'll just keep an eye on it then."

Minato smiled at his former student. He was glad that he was watching over Naruto. It gave him a feeling of safety, knowing that there were people who still saw Naruto for what he was, a little boy.

"Well, I'm off then," Kakashi announced before disappearing in a swirl of leafs.

Minato sighed and went to look for Naruto.

"Come on kiddo, we have to make some dinner," Minato said when he had found his son in the garden.

"Ramen?"

Minato couldn't help be chuckle. One of these days he would have the medical nin's do research on the existence of a ramen-gene.

**Had enough of Ramen yet? So that was it for chapter three. A little more on Naruto's life. I must say it is pretty difficult to write out the world of a little child. I hope that it worked out well enough.**

**Please review and let me know what you think!  
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**Edit 21-12-2011: Naruto's age and some other stuff **


	4. The festival

On with chapter four. I'd like to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, faving and putting this story on alert. It keeps me motivated.

This chapter is the shortest one I've written so far. Somehow it was difficult to get this one out. Well I still hope you'll all have fun reading it!

I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 4: The festival **

The birds were singing, proving it to be a beautiful day. In a way it was, for five years ago Konoha's most dangerous foe had been defeated. Although it had been a great accomplishment, it had also caused for many to die. The tenth of October, the Kyuubi and death were all closely connected. The festival was one with a lot of colour, games and happiness, but everyone could feel the heavy shadow of the lost loved ones hanging over them. All the children, small as they were, could notice the strange atmosphere that was underneath the happy cover. They all saw the looks that the little blond son of the Hokage got and felt the strong emotions within those looks. So they started to stay clear of the boy, even if they didn't understand. Not talking about something would never mean that the feelings of loss and hate could be erased. No one who had seen the Kyuubi could ever see the little blond boy for what he really was.

Said boy was now lying underneath his covers, curled up like a ball, refusing to get up. Normally he would wake his father, but today he didn't feel like it. Today was his fifth birthday and he didn't want it to be that day. The looks of hate were growing more intense and the boy, as he grew older couldn't stay oblivious to them. He was scared, because he didn't understand. Yesterday a woman had threatened to kill him if he showed up at the festival. He was supposed to go to the park with Kakashi to practise with kunai, but he had lost sight of him on the way there. The woman had grabbed his arm roughly, asking him what he was doing wandering around. "Demons should know their place!" had been her words and after that she told him not to show up at the festival the next day.

He couldn't remember ever meeting the woman before, so he could have never done anything bad to her, could he?

He gripped the sheets and made himself even smaller. He could feel tears burning, but he didn't want to cry, because he was scared of what his dad would say. He couldn't tell what was going on, because his dad would hate him, just like the villagers. No one would love a demon.

The boy could hear footsteps approaching his bedroom door. He didn't move when the door opened and he just listened to the footsteps approaching his bed. He felt a hand on his head through his blankets.

"Naruto?" he heard his father ask. "It's time to get up; did you forget what day it is today?"

The boy didn't move or speak. He could only wish that he could have been born on another day. He silently wished his dad would just stand up and walk away. He didn't know how to smile today.

"What's wrong kiddo?"

Minato frowned as he watched his sons still form. He carefully tried to lift the blanket of the boy, but Naruto had a firm grip on it. He tried again, a little more forceful this time, but without any effect.

"Naruto?"

The boy pressed his eyes closed. He didn't know what to do. All his instincts told him to run, but he knew his dad would catch him and that he would have to talk for sure. All he could do now was 'play dead'.

"Breakfast will get cold if you don't get up," Minato tried, but he got no reaction. "You know, Kakashi might eat your Ramen."

Minato rubbed his forehead. So that didn't work either.

"If you don't talk to you I can't help you. Naruto, what is going on?"

Naruto winched a little at his father's serious tone of voice. He felt another tug at his blanket and relaxed his hands. His dad wasn't just going to get up and leave. If he took this any further his dad would be angry. With a little hesitation he looked up at his father's worried face.

Minato took the blanket off his sons head. The boy looked tired and pale. He let his hand rest on the boy's forehead to check for any signs of fever, to his surprise there were none.

Naruto launched himself at his father and buried his face in his shirt, trying to hide the tears that were now falling.

Minato was caught of guard and he raised an eyebrow. He put one arm around his son and stroked the boy's hair with the other. He could feel the quiet sobs that came from Naruto. To be honest he had no idea what was going on or what to do.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Minato asked when the boy had calmed down.

Naruto looked at him with teary eyes. "I'm sorry."

Minato was taken aback with this answer. He studied his son, who was averting his eyes.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Because I can't smile today," was the timid answer.

"Naruto, everyone isn't feeling well sometimes. You don't have to be sorry for that," Minato comforted the boy. "Did something bad happen?"

Naruto shook his head, not looking at his father.

"Is something else wrong?" Minato tried to coax an explanation from his son.

"My tummy hurts," Naruto told. It wasn't really a lie, because of all the emotions that the little boy couldn't process he felt sick.

Minato sighed; he silently cursed himself for being so worried. There had been a bug going around, so that was probably all there was to it. He pushed a nagging feeling to the back of his mind.

"That is nothing to be ashamed of, so next time you can just tell me."

"But…"

"Naruto, you can't help it if you don't feel well. I won't get mad at you for that."

Minato tucked the boy in, kissing his forehead. "Get some more sleep, okay?"

The boy nodded and turned his back to his father. Minato studied the boy a bit before leaving the room. It was almost time for him to leave. He still had some little things to take care of before the start of the festival. Kakashi would come in a bit to take Naruto to the festival, like they had done every year. They would just have to see about that this year though. He felt bad about leaving his son alone, but he couldn't ignore his duties as a Hokage. He sighed and sat down at the table, where two cups of ramen were waiting. Minato pushed the cup away, not really hungry and rested his face in his hands. This day was a difficult one for him, trying to be happy for Naruto, wanting every birthday to be one to remember. It was a hard task, for it was also the day Kushina died and the Kyuubi's attack could never be erased from his mind. Naruto being sick wasn't really helping.

"….sei….sensei….. Sensei!"

Minato looked up at the face of Kakashi. His former student gave him a strange look.

"Where is the kid?"

"He isn't feeling well," Minato answered. "I don't know what is wrong."

Kakashi gave Minato a reassuring look. "It's probably just a bug, too bad it had to be today."

"Yes I'd like to believe that as well."

A knock was heard on the door and Minato went to answer it.

"Hokage-sama, everyone is waiting for you," one of the ANBU that came to pick him up, reported.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Please go ahead, I'll be right there."

The ANBU gave Minato a small nod and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Minato ran his hand through his hair and turned to Kakashi.

"If Naruto still isn't feeling well in a few hours then just let him sleep. I will be back as soon as possible. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, I don't really care much about the festival," Kakashi said with a smile, which Minato returned. With that the blond man left, leaving Kakashi alone in the room.

Two hours later Kakashi went to wake the boy up, to see if he was well enough to visit Minato and the festival. To his surprise the boy was awake and playing with some of his toys. When he saw Kakashi he dropped his toys and ran to him to hug his legs. Kakashi picked the boy up and ruffled his hair.

"How about some food?" he asked.

Naruto nodded, he was feeling much better now that he didn't have to face his father. He could just stay home and then everything would be okay again.

When Kakashi told them they would be going to the festival, Naruto protested. Kakashi just eyed the boy with some suspicion. Since Naruto refused to walk he just held the boy as they walked to the festival grounds. He kept a close eye to the boy who just hid his face against Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi could feel the stares directed at them and he wanted to get it over and done with. He always knew Naruto wasn't loved by the village, but today the hateful stares were worse. Kakashi had never really paid attention to the villagers before, but now he understood why Naruto didn't want to go. He must have noticed the hateful gazes that were sent his way. For Kakashi as a full grown ninja it was easy to shrug off, but for a little boy? Kakashi sent a glare over to the villagers who hurried away and walked straight to the Hokage tower. Normally he would drop off Naruto and Minato would take his son to the festival, but this year would be so much different.

Minato was surprised to see Kakashi and Naruto in his office. He had made up some excuse and was about to go home when they came. His look of surprise turned into a frown however, when he saw the way his son was clinging to Kakashi. Kakashi just shook his head, indicating that he would explain it later. Minato gave a short nod and gathered his things. The three of them went home and Minato was glad he could leave right now. He wasn't really too upset that he would miss most of the festival this year. He always went for Naruto. As Hokage he had to show his face, because he was the hero who saved the village. In his opinion it was Kushina and Naruto who had saved the village. He did nothing but a few stupid hand seals. Kushina was the one who gave her life and Naruto became a vessel.

When they were back in the Namikaze home he told Naruto to go and play. He focussed his gaze on Kakashi.

"So tell me you know what is going on."

Kakashi nodded and told him about Naruto's behaviour. Minato wasn't too surprised with the story. He himself had suspected something like this. Maybe he had also felt some relief, because he had feared something far worse. Even so he did decide to keep a closer eye on Naruto, especially when he was going out. He didn't want his son to get hurt anymore then he already was. He really wished that Naruto could grow up without the hate from the villagers. He let out a sigh.

"Sensei there is nothing you can do about it."

Minato was taken from his thoughts and looked at Kakashi.

"I know, but that doesn't make me less worried…"

"You can't protect him forever. Harsh as it may sound, it will teach him not to just trust people. There are more enemies out there then the villagers and their mean glares."

Kakashi let out a sigh and studied his sensei, who looked absolutely miserable.

"A lot of people would gladly see your head severed from your body…"

"I know that Kakashi, that is one of the reasons why Naruto carries Kushina's name and not mine. All of this may make him strong in the end, but he is only five for crying out loud."

Minato wanted to protect his son, but he also knew he couldn't. Naruto couldn't stay oblivious forever. The villagers would keep on seeing him as the Kyuubi, until Naruto proved them otherwise. His job now was to be there for Naruto and raising him to become a strong man. He smiled a little. If someone was able to prove to everyone how wrong they all were it would be Naruto. He carried Kushina's genes and therefore her stubbornness.

Minato went to fetch Naruto for dinner after Kakashi had left. He found the little boy in his room, drawing something.

"Naruto dinner is ready."

The boy looked up from his drawing and got to his feet. He gave his father a smile and ran downstairs. He climbed on his chair. Minato sat down as well and studied his son.

"Feeling all better now?"

Naruto nodded and said an "itadakimasu", before digging into his food. Minato raised an eyebrow as he started eating as well. The boy could turn from a rain cloud to a sunny sky just like that. After seeing this and Kakashi's story he knew that Naruto's 'sickness' from this morning was something psychological.

"So are you going to tell me why you didn't want to get up this morning to go to the festival?"

Naruto stopped eating and almost dropped his chopsticks. He kept his gaze on his plate, having his bangs hiding his eyes. Minato kept his eyes on the boy, waiting for him to answer. Naruto looked up to his father.

"I already said that right? Now it is all better again though," he said smiling.

Minato gave his son a disbelieving look. "Is that the only reason?"

Naruto nodded and continued to eat. Minato let out a sigh. He knew that Naruto had seen the glares and felt them. How could he explain the why? It was obvious the boy was scared and he wished he had read the signals sooner. Then again was there something he could do? Naruto was too young to hear the truth, but being treated like a demon and not knowing why wasn't good either.

Naruto finished his ramen and looked up at his dad with a smile, but the man didn't see it. He was staring at his cup of ramen, not eating. Naruto frowned and then an idea formed in his head. He softly giggled and carefully took the cup of ramen an dragged it to him. He looked at his father, but the man was still out of it. Naruto took a bit of ramen and loudly ate them, but there was still no reaction.

"Dad...?"

Minato let out another sigh. Whatever he did, it wasn't going to end well. He cursed himself for not being a better father. How different things would have been when Kushina was still around. She would've known what to do.

Minato saw a picture of his wife smiling in his mind's eye. Why did she have to die? He still didn't understand. She would have done a better job raising Naruto. He was worried, angry and at loss for what to do. He could feel tears burning, but he pushed them away. He couldn't cry in front of Naruto. Minato closed his eyes briefly, but opened them again when he felt a soft tug on his sleeve.

"Dad?"

Naruto had the cup of ramen in his hands and held them up to his father. He had called his father about three times and he hadn't reacted, not even when he had made funny faces.

Minato took the ramen out of Naruto's hands and placed the cup on the table.

"They're getting cold..."

Minato ignored the comment and lifted Naruto, putting him in his lap and hugged him close. Naruto didn't understand and tried to pull away, but Minato wouldn't let him.

"Dad...?"

Naruto tried to get free again, but it didn't work. "Dad, can't breathe!"

Minato got out of his thinking and loosened his hold on the boy. He quickly wiped some tears that had formed away and looked at his son.

Said son was looking up to his father with big blue eyes. He had seen his father wipe some tears and he wondered why his dad was crying.

"Sorry I scared you," Minato said smiling and ruffling his son's hair, but Naruto just stared up him.

"Why are you sad?"

Minato blinked. "I'm not sad, just a bit tired."

Naruto frowned and pushed away from Minato and got off his lap. "Okay..."

He grabbed his empty cup and threw it out. He somehow knew that his father was not telling the truth. He slowly went to his room and sat on his bed. He didn't like this birthday at all.

Minato just looked at his son leaving. He wasn't happy about this at all. Damn, he was supposed to be the Hokage, a hero! Yet he felt like his life was falling apart. He couldn't keep this up much longer. He wanted Naruto to be happy, he had promised Kushina and every time he failed! He had hid his sadness about Kushina's dead as much as he could. So what was he supposed to do now?

Minato got up and cleaned up the table. He wasn't hungry anymore. Silently he went through the living room and picked up some toys. He wished that Jiraiya would hurry up and get back. He didn't want to wait more than a year.

After some aimless cleaning up Minato went upstairs and got ready for bed. He tucked Naruto in who had fallen asleep, forgotten to have the little boy changed and showered. His mind still wandering on all his problems.

**Ramen for everyone who will review!**

**So review and let me know what you think!**


	5. The tragedy of Uchiha Itachi

Chapter five… This chapter was a real struggle… I was so happy when I finally got it finished. It took me some rewriting on some dialogue. It was is a chapter with a lot going on, so yeah. Well enjoy and I hope it's more fun to read it then is was to write :P

Sorry for being a day late. I'm starting to struggle with a bit of a writers block. This story is a challenge for sure, but I'll do my best to stay motivated and inspired.

Thanks again to all of you faithful readers, you guys make me really happy!

And thanks of course to my beta and muse Upbeat!

I don't own Naruto.

**When Autumn Arrives**

**Chapter 5: The tragedy of Uchiha Itachi**

Minato was looking at the papers on his desk. It had been three months since the festival. Naruto seemed to do better, but he was still worried. Kushina would laugh if she saw him like this. He put his face in his hands and let his mind wander past all the memories he had made with Kushina. He silently cursed at himself. This was not the time to wallow in sadness and self-pity. Jiraiya would be back in a year and three months. That was hardly a life time. He loved Konoha and becoming the Hokage was one of the best things that happened to him. That was what he had to remember. Right now he was not a father, but a leader. As long as he was still in this chair it was his job to keep Konoha safe and he could still try and have the people of Konoha see that Naruto was a hero.

Minato chuckled slightly at his lecture. Well it was needed to give himself a good lecture once in a while. He grabbed a pile of papers and started to read and sign them. There was a knock on his door.

"Hokage-sama there is someone here to see you."

"Send him in," he replied without looking up. He placed a signature at the bottom of the document and placed it on his 'finished' pile, before looking up.

"Uchiha Itachi, to what do I owe this visit?" He gestured at Itachi to sit down.

Itachi gave him an intense look, a look that could see right through you. Minato had to push down a shiver as Itachi sat down.

"I am here concerning my clan."

Minato put his pen down and gave Itachi a surprised look.

"Continue."

Itachi looked around the room as to check whether it was just Minato who listened. Minato frowned and waited for the boy to speak.

"The Uchiha are plotting against Konoha," was Itachi's statement.

Minato took a bit to process, but couldn't make sense of it. He gave Itachi a questioning look at which Itachi sighed.

"Ever since the defeat of Madara my clan had wanted revenge. They want to be the head of Konoha, change it's teaching."

"Then what are they plotting?"

"To destroy Konoha."

Minato leaned back in his chair. He didn't know whether to laugh, to take this serious or to pinch himself to check if he was awake.

"I'm not sure what you mean, but if your clan is not satisfied about things then I'm sure that something can be arranged."

"Like the police squad and extra privileges. You are foolish to think that those things will settle them down."

Minato studied Itachi, but the boy was still sitting across his table with an emotionless look on his face. He had no idea what to do with this information. It all seemed ridiculous.

"You are from the Uchiha, so what are you doing in my office?"

"Unlike my other clan members I am loyal to Konoha and I believe in it's teachings. I believe that my clan is blinded by greed and pride. All they live for is revenge and no one has ever gained anything by that."

Minato was a bit dumbstruck at this. First of all he was surprised by the way the boy talked and the face void of any emotion that came with it.

"What is it you want from me?"

"I wish for you to put a stop to this."

Minato leaned forward again, leaning his chin on his hand, again studying Itachi. This boy was going against his own clan and for that, Minato had to give him, he was brave. He called himself loyal to Konoha, but was he to be trusted. For all he knew he was a double spy.

"I can't put a stop to something that has not happened yet, nor is there any proof that it will happen. I only have your word."

Itachi gave Minato something of a smile. "I understand your wary attitude concerning trusting me, for your fear for me acting as a double spy is legitimate. However I can provide you with proof if necessary to show that I have no interest in being a double spy for my clan."

Minato raised a brow at this. He still couldn't really make heads or tails out of it, but he believed it best to hear the boy out. Itachi, he knew, was not someone to take action, just for the sake of it. He was very bright and respectful and the pride of the Uchiha clan.

"What kind of proof?"

"Documents of clan meetings signed by my father."

"You are willing to give me official documents of the secret meetings and betraying your clan? Do you know what you are proposing and risking?"

Itachi gave him the same emotionless, but determent look. "Yes and I do know what betraying my clan means. I merely wish to put an end to their nonsense before there will be a lot of bloodshed."

Minato massaged his temples and took a moment to think it over. He somewhat believed the boy and he wanted to keep peace in Konoha, but there was nothing he could do. To have the trust of the Uchiha was very important. The people in Konoha looked up to them and loosing the Sharingan was not an option.

"I hope you do understand that I can't just make accusations against your clan?"

"Yes, I fully understand the political need to keep the clan on your good side. Loosing the Uchiha clan would mean losing a bloodline limit and that would be devastating for Konoha. Unfortunately there is no time for politics. If the plot against Konoha is executed then there is no more Konoha, at least not as you and I know it now."

"If there was no more time you would not be in my office, am I right?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes you are, but I'm merely trying to make you see the importance of restraining my clan."

"I can't restrain anyone before they violate the law. What I can do is put them under surveillance."

Minato saw Itachi think this option over. He just kept studying him until the boy gave his answer.

"You would need someone from inside to do this."

"Would you be willing to keep me updated?" Minato knew it was a bit of a long shot, but it was the best option. Itachi after all seemed more than willing to be of help.

"You wish for me to be a double spy for Konoha's side?"

"Yes that is what I'm proposing."

Itachi stood and nodded. "Very well, then it shall be so. I shall keep you updated and tell my clan that I have gained the trust of the Hokage."

Minato watched Itachi leave and leaned back in his chair again. He suddenly felt tired and wished that Jiraiya was here. If anyone had good information sources it was him. He would just see what Itachi would provide him with and take action when needed. He just prayed that the Uchiha would lay low for a while.

**0000000000000**

Itachi kept, as promised, Minato up to date on the plots of his clan. They wanted to overthrow the Hokage office and create fear among the people of Konoha. When the village had fallen into the hands of chaos the Uchiha would make their move, supported by the ROOT division of the ANBU, led by Danzo. To be honest Minato wasn't that worried about it, although he was glad for the warning. He did wonder how the Uchiha had planned to take on thousands of Konoha Shinobi. It wasn't likely to have a couple of hundred Uchiha win that battle, Sharingan or not. It made him wonder if there was something that Itachi was not telling. That was also why Minato hadn't taken any action; he didn't trust the boy completely. He knew Itachi was under a lot of stress and he was also young, this could cloud ones judgment.

Minato knew in the back of his mind that he shouldn't put this lower on his priority list, but his mind was filled with other things. He was still waiting anxiously for his former sensei to return. Winter had turned into spring and spring was now slowly turning into summer. Minato looked outside, where people were laughing and playing around in the warm June sunshine. He was craving for a life away from the Hokage desk and to be able to play around with Naruto. There was so much he was missing and he knew that a child needed their parents. He was glad that he could be there for his son, well as much as his job would allow him.

Lucky for him Kakashi was there to care for Naruto and to take him out swimming or in their case to do some light training. Since Minato knew what kind of feelings the villagers harboured toward Naruto he agreed to have Kakashi start him on some basic training. Naruto didn't know it was for self defence more than fun or preparation for becoming an ninja. Why any parent would want to send their child of to become a Shinobi was beyond him. Minato laughed at the irony of this, because one day he would be doing the same thing. Besides knowing Naruto he had no choice and the son of the Hokage had a legacy to uphold. If all those children only knew about the horrors that a Shinobi life would bring... Minato shook his head, there he was going again, his mind leading him to weird thoughts. Being a Shinobi was a noble thing. A dry chuckle escaped his lips. He understood what this was about, he was turning in one of those overprotective parents. Never mind that he already was. Kushina would be rolling over in laughter if she saw him like that.

"Sensei…"

Minato looked up and to his surprise his student was climbing through the window. In his former students arms was his son, asleep.

"Did something happen?" Minato asked.

Kakashi gave Minato a dark look and showed the other man his child. The child was covert in dirt and on his cheek was a big bruise. Minato stood up and took his son from Kakashi.

"Talk, now!"

Kakashi winched a little at the demanding tone of his former sensei.

"I had Naruto run an errand, but he stayed away longer then I would like. So I went to the store and I saw the store owner giving Naruto a piece of his mind." Kakashi explained and he put a hand on Minato's shoulder when he saw the look in the man his eyes. "Don't worry I had some ANBU take care of the man. Anyways he literally threw Naruto out of the store and seeing Naruto's reaction this wasn't the first time this has happened."

Minato sat down and ran his hands through his son's hair. This did explain a lot of weird behaviour from Naruto. If he was honest he already knew, he just didn't want to know, because it made him realise what an idiot he was for believing that the villagers would ever see Naruto as a hero. He had hoped that they would've just kept it to stares and whisperes.

"Take Naruto home, I have a meeting to call," Minato said, handing his son back to Kakashi.

Said man nodded and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Minato had the ANBU shadow his son at all time, wanting to know who the rotten apples in this village were. To send out a message to the village the store owner was charged with abuse. It did have people on the low for a while, but Naruto refused to go on an errand again. Minato was upset with himself. It had been so easy to not see past Naruto's smile and to believe that the little boy was happy, but he had given plenty of clues. The stomach aces, being scared to go out alone, the way he was always aware when walking the streets. He had just hoped the boy hadn't noticed the stares, but he should've expected the abuse. He should've known people were out for revenge.

Minato didn't care if it made him unpopular; he was going to protect his son, no matter what. Every child had a right to feel safe and to be accepted, even the ones that had to carry demons around.

The rest of the summer Minato spent more time away from the office to be at home. He thanked the old Sarutobi to take over for him. This way he could spend more time with his son and keep an eye on him. The villagers were less likely to hurt Naruto when he was around. At first Naruto had given him strange looks asking him whether he had to work or not, but after a couple of weeks he had started to enjoy it. The little boy seemed to relax more and Minato liked helping him out with his training. Maybe Naruto wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, he never gave up and that made Minato really proud.

"Dad, are we going to train tomorrow again?" asked the little boy.

Minato chuckled and tucked his son in. "Don't you think you've had enough for a while?"

Naruto shook his head and Minato ruffled his hair. Today Kakashi had helped with the training and he sure didn't go easy on Naruto. Minato had wanted to step in, but when he saw the determination on his sons face he had just let them be. Naruto had ended up covert in dirt, cuts and bruises, but he had worn a satisfied smile for the rest of the evening.

"I know I can do better! I wanna be as good as you!" the boy exclaimed sitting back up.

"Well you still need some time before you're anywhere near my level…"

"No way!"

Minato shook his head in amusement as Naruto had put on a cute sulk. He was going to prove the world how good he really was and Minato would gladly help.

"How about you get some sleep and we'll see tomorrow?"

"No going back on that!" Naruto said and he dived under his blankets.

Minato chuckled, placed a kiss on Naruto's head and turned off the light. "Sleep well."

"As fatherly as ever," a voice commented as Minato closed the door. Minato turned around and looked at the figure with surprise. This was someone he hadn't seen in a while.

"Pakkun…" he said as he looked at Kakashi's summon. "What happened?"

"There has been some trouble at the Uchiha compound, you better go and check it out. Kakashi is already there."

Minato nodded and got into his Hokage outfit. "Will you keep an eye on Naruto?"

"Of course," the dog answered.

With that Minato left to go to the Uchiha compound. He was greeted by one of the ANBU, who explained him what happened. Apparently all the Uchiha had been slaughtered by none other then Uchiha Itachi. It took a bit for Minato to process the information, but when he walked into the compound the horror was revealed. Even Minato who had seen his fair share of war felt sick to his stomach. Corpses, body parts and blood were spread throughout the compound. It was deadly silent in the usual lively streets.

"Sensei," Kakashi said.

Minato gave him a small nod. "How did you find out?"

He wasn't surprised that it had been Kakashi to let him know, he had been an ANBU after all.

"I was wandering the streets and I heard screams, before I got there the ANBU had already arrived. I told them I would let you know."

"Itachi?"

"Vanished, well they are still looking, but no sign yet I think."

"Hokage-sama," greeted a woman from the ANBU. "He has yet to be found and the same goes for Uchiha Sasuke."

"Give me a full report," Minato ordered.

"Screams were heard so we went to investigate. Witnesses claimed to have seen Uchiha Itachi leave the village. We have found no survivor, we are currently rechecking, but all the Uchiha seem to be accounted for, except for Itachi and his little brother Sasuke."

"Keep looking for Itachi and Sasuke. I will go to my office to get more search parties organised. Keep me updated."

Minato left for his office. He cursed himself for paying less attention to Itachi. The boy had come to him for help, but he was so focussed on his son that he was neglecting his duties as Hokage. Time to get keep his private life from his life as Hokage. He signed up for the job and he was going to finish it. He got a paper ready to figure out a strategy on the Uchiha matter. A tingle went down his spine and he looked up to the shadow that had appeared in his office.

"Itachi."

The boy approached his desk and gave him a deep stare. Minato returned it before gesturing for him to sit down. Itachi, however remained standing. It was then that Minato saw the boy in Itachi's arms. Minato studied the two.

"No need to worry," Itachi spoke. "He is alive."

"Explain yourself," Minato demanded.

"I did what needed to be done. The Uchiha clan was going to disgrace themselves, turning on the Gods. There was nothing that could save them."

"So you killed them!"

"Yes," was the simple reply.

Minato gave Itachi a look of fury. He knew that the look should be directed at himself though. He should've known something was up when Itachi stepped into his office that day. Besides he always knew that the Uchiha wouldn't let themselves be contained by Konoha. It was only a matter of time before the bomb exploded. He had all the opportunity to change that, but he was blinded by his own emotions and worry for his son.

"Then why… What was so bad that you had to murder innocent people and children? You could've left it to the ANBU and other Shinobi of Konoha."

"My clan was corrupted by greed and pride, they had forgotten their true purpose and were going to use the power given to turn against Konoha."

Minato studied Itachi who still stood there emotionless with his unconscious brother in his arms. He could only wonder what was going through the boys head.

"If you're talking about the Sharingan…"

"No what I am talking about is something much more powerful, but none of that matters now, nor am I here to explain."

"Then what are you here for?"

"I am here for my brother, he needs a family, someone who will keep him safe."

Minato just looked at him dumbstruck.

"My brother is the only hope to revive our clan, better and stronger, free of corruption. I know that one day he will come looking for me to seek revenge. Unfortunately the will to carry out revenge is strong among my clan. I ask of you to keep this from happening. It will bring him nothing but emptiness and there is no need for him or anyone to sell their soul for such a cause."

"What about you?" Minato asked.

"I will leave Konoha and I will take responsibility for murder."

Minato raised his brow and then let out a sigh. "As by the law, leaving the village will not have you get away with mass murder."

"I am aware of that, that is why I am here, to bargain," Itachi stated. "My clan wanted absolute power over Konoha and it was them that had the Kyuubi turn against the hidden village."

This was enough to have Minato forget about interrogation and he gave Itachi a look that showed surprise and shock.

"The Sharingan have the power to control the Kyuubi either on the outside world or living within a vessel, the Jinchuuriki," Itachi continued. "They were going to work together with a forming group. This group is looking for the power of the Bijuu. My side of the bargain is to keep an eye on them. If necessary I will pass on information and in return you will make sure Sasuke is safe and I will get to leave Konoha."

"How can I trust you?" Minato asked when he was over the initial shock. "How do I know you will keep your end of the bargain?"

"You won't, but I'm leaving you the last surviving Uchiha."

Minato thought it over for a bit. If what Itachi said was true then Naruto was in danger and he would need the information to keep him safe. His gut feeling told him to trust Itachi, so either he was completely insane or he would prove to have great instincts.

"There isn't much time," Itachi said.

"I must be insane, but fine. Do know that if you come close to Konoha with the wrong intention I will have you sent to Ibiki and after that you face a lifetime of jail."

"Understood and one more thing, Sasuke is not to know of any of this. I will tell him everything he needs to know when the time is right."

Itachi handed Sasuke to Minato who stood up. Minato held the child close and gave Itachi a small nod.

"I thank you for giving me the benefit of doubt. I will report back to you."

Itachi disappeared and Minato cursed under his breath. A part of him had a feeling he was going to regret this decision. He looked at the boy in his arms and forced everything that Itachi said to the back of his head. He first had to take care of this boy, the boy that had seen too much. That was one thing he had no doubt about.

Minato took Sasuke to the hospital and informed on of the ANBU about what happened and send his squad out to find and shadow Itachi for a while. He sat down in a chair next to Sasuke's bed. The boy was going to need a guardian, someone who would understand him. Who would qualify for something like that? Minato put his hand over his nose and mouth as he was thinking. Was there someone who he trusted to care for the boy, someone he could keep an eye on? Yes, of course….

Minato got up from the chair and whispered something to the ANBU guarding the hospital room. The woman nodded and left in a swirl of leaves. Minato went back into Sasuke's room. Now to think on how to convince him…

**0000000000000**

"Live with me?" Kakashi looked at Minato as if he had gone completely mental. He had wondered what was so urgent that Minato had the ANBU fetch him. Kakashi looked at the six year old that was now lying in the hospital bed. The nurses had given the boy something so he would stay asleep. That was probably for the best seeing as what he had just witnessed. Kakashi shook his head and turned back to Minato.

"Wouldn't it for the best if you took him in? You already have a kid, so you know how to deal with one."

Minato gave Kakashi a sad smile and shook his head. He too looked over to the bed where young Sasuke was sleeping. It made him feel sick to think about what the six year old went through. He could understand Itachi, but why go so far? Why aim to be hated? It would only be natural that Sasuke was going to seek revenge at one point. For some reason Itachi had seemed so sure that Minato had to let him go and agree with his plan. He just hoped that this was going to work, because now he wasn't so sure anymore.

"I think that you would understand him a lot better, besides I won't have enough time to care for him."

"What if I am away on missions?"

"Then I will look after him."

"You just said you have no time…"

"Damn it Kakashi, every boy should have at least one parent. How did you feel when your father died and no one took care of you?"

Minato looked away trying to settle down a bit. Kakashi was never one to obey without a good reason, but he had promised Itachi not to tell and that was probably best. He had so much stuff to deal with already and Kakashi knew what it was like to feel abandoned by family.

"Sorry that was uncalled for. Please Kakashi; I want him to grow up happy. It would be no good if he is allowed to be alone. He will grow lonely and angry and that would be a waste of his talent."

Kakashi was taken aback by Minato's outburst and he understood the reasoning somewhat. Scratch that he knew there was more behind all of this. He just didn't see himself take care of a kid 24/7. It was not like he had good parental examples in his life.

"Sensei…"

"He is the last Uchiha," Minato pleaded. "Besides don't you owe it to Obito to make sure his clan can survive?"

Kakashi gave his former sensei a glare. That was low, even for Minato. So that was how he was going to play it, emotional blackmail.

"You also know what an Uchiha is like and you can train him to use the Sharingan one day. I do believe that Obito would like that."

Minato didn't like using emotional blackmail, but he wanted to win this battle, really bad. He was never really one to understand the Uchiha. He saw Kakashi still giving him a glare.

"I am not going to take care of some kid. I know for a fact that I would just make it worse."

That approach hit a wrong button with Kakashi, Minato knew. He did hear the insecurity in Kakashi's statement. Maybe this was about something else, another reason why Kakashi didn't agree. Minato shook his head and couldn't help but find it a little amusing. "There are plenty of parenting classes in Ko…."

"No thank you."

"I will be there to help if necessary. You won't be alone and I have seen you with Naruto. I have no doubt in my mind that you can help this boy. I believe in you Kakashi."

Minato placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. Said man rolled his eyes. So now it was flattery. Kakashi gave Minato a blank stare and it was back to the drawing board. He knew he was losing this match, so how to get Kakashi to agree on taking care of Sasuke. He felt bad about doing this, but he needed to, for Konoha and for the young boy. Suddenly an idea formed in his mind. Minato gave Kakashi his best blue puppy eyed stare.

"I as Hokage will go on my knees for you, my dear former student." Minato got down on his knees and grabbed Kakashi's shirt. "I will buy you every copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise' and I will have it autographed. I will buy you ramen and sake. I will get you a house and a better pay, maybe set you up on a date. Anko could be a good candidate… I will ask her right…"

"Okay, okay I get it. I'm going to regret it, but fine I will take care of the kid. If I however fail at raising him it will be your mess to deal with."

Minato smiled. "That's a deal."

"Just let me know when to pick him up and you deal with the paperwork."

Kakashi turned to leave, but Minato put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you and one day you will understand that there is nothing to regret about this decision."

Kakashi shrugged and shook his head before leaving through the window.

Minato gave the boy one last look, happy that Kakashi agreed. He gave the nurse that came in a nod and left to go deal with a mountain of paperwork, again...

#######

**Itachi nearly made me go crazy writing him. He is… how should I put it… Well aside from Itachi this was an event in the Naruto series I pushed forward. I can't explain why, not yet, but I will later on in the story.**

**Please let me know what you think. Crazy Itachi plushies for all of you that leave me a review!**


	6. Sasuke

I'm amazed at how fast this is going, chapter six already. I think I have a new personal record on updating. This must be the most motivating story I've ever worked on!

So thank you guys so much for leaving me those nice reviews. I'd also like to thank narutofan for leaving me a review on every chapter! (For everyone who leaves a signed review, I will reply to it.)

Also special thanks to my great Beta en muse upbeat!

Alright now that that's said I have one more thing before chapter 6: I do not own Naruto.

Ready, set and go!

**When Autumn Arrives**

**Chapter 6: Sasuke**

Minato was currently visiting Kakashi, to see how he and Sasuke were doing. It had been close to a month since Sasuke was released from the hospital and had started to live with Kakashi. To put it blunt the two disliked each other with passion. Or that is what they believed. Minato knew that Kakashi was just awkward, not knowing how to deal with the boy. It was true that Kakashi was fine with Naruto, but he had seen him grow from a newborn into a child. Other than that Naruto was pretty open and talkative. Sasuke was silent and drawn back. This was not strange as the boy had just lost his family. The problem however was that Kakashi and Sasuke were alike. Both had been through some heavy ordeals, both lost their parents in a terrible way and both didn't know how to express their emotions about it. If you add all those factors together it would create tension, a lot of tension and at one moment that tension would need to unload.

"You deal with him sensei," was the irritated reply from Kakashi as he walked away. "I'm not training someone like this."

Sasuke gave Kakashi's back a cold stare. Minato was amazed with the looks the boy could give. It made it clear all the more the two didn't get along.

Sasuke claimed he needed to train to get stronger and to kill Itachi, but Kakashi refused to train him only to have him kill Itachi. It seemed that Kakashi had enough of the tension and walking away was his way to show that. Minato focussed on the six year old in front of him. In comparison Naruto was still so little. Sasuke had seen a lot, including the corpses of his parents, which would have anyone grow a couple of years.

"Sasuke," Minato called to get the boy's attention. The boy looked at him with the same cold stare, but Minato could also see a sulk in there and it made him chuckle. Sasuke gave Minato a deadly glare.

"What's so funny?" he cried out.

Minato placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, giving Sasuke a stern glare. Sasuke seemed to settle down a little and was thinking something over.

"Train me," was the request.

"No," Minato answered, earning him a glare. "I think you should rest, you have been through a lot."

"No! He'll get away! I need to get stronger!" Sasuke screamed his voice almost panicked. Minato gave the boy a sad smile. He wanted to tell Sasuke the truth so bad, but he couldn't he had promised. Minato sat down on one knee getting down to Sasuke's level.

"Revenge will not help you, no matter how much it feels it will."

"How would you know? You know nothing!"

Minato looked away and let out a sad sigh. Images of the people he had lost flashed before him. He closed his eyes briefly before turning back to Sasuke.

"Everyone has to carry around something painful, some more than others, but everyone knows suffering." He explained to the boy, his own pain clearly showing on his face. He placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, hoping to give his point a bit more strength. "Revenge is just hurting other people while getting hurt yourself. It's not going to take the pain away."

Sasuke was looking at Minato with a look of disbelieve, his mouth set in a thin line.

"Go away," the boy said.

"No, I'm not going anywhere."

The boy took a step back and forcefully removed the hand from his shoulder.

"Go away. I hate you! You don't understand anything!" the boy spat out. "I need to become stronger, stronger than him. I will kill him, kill him!"

Minato watched the boy struggle with his demons with a sad face. How could Itachi have done this, hurting him so much. Minato saw the tears that were falling from Sasuke's eyes. He got up and hugged the boy close. He felt Sasuke trying to get out of his hold, but Minato didn't let go. After a bit the boy stopped struggling and Minato loosened his hold a bit.

"You will get strong one day, but there is no rush," Minato said softly. "But being strong is more than to train your body; it's to train your spirit and heart too. A true Shinobi will walk this world with his head held high, no matter what hardships he's been through."

Sasuke wasn't looking at Minato, but Minato knew that Sasuke was listening.

"Dealing with hardships doesn't mean you turn sadness away, it's allowing yourself to grieve and to give it a place in your life."

Minato could almost feel Sasuke frown in confusion and it made him chuckle. He let go of the boy and kneeled down to his level again.

"I know it sounds weird now, but one day you'll understand," Minato explained. "For now it's okay to be sad and even to be angry, but do you want to become like Itachi?"

Sasuke looked up to give Minato a glare and shook his head.

"To kill him means to become like him. To become strong is to be better like that, do you understand."

"Then how… it still hurts…" the boy mumbled, fresh tears in his eyes.

"Time, it'll take time. Lots and lots of time."

This made Sasuke snort and he gave Minato an annoyed look. Minato gave him a smile.

"Annoying, yes I know, but I promise it'll get better."

Kakashi had come back in the room and Minato gave him a nod. Kakashi had been listening to the speech of his former sensei and he knew he had been an idiot. He just wasn't one to deal with other people's emotions.

"So what do you say Kakashi?" Minato asked him.

"Fine," Kakashi answered shrugging.

Sasuke's face seemed to light up a little and he wiped the tears from his face. The boy put his hands in his pocket and fell back into his usual mask of indifference.

"Then go to the training field, I'll be right there."

Sasuke nodded and left for the field. Kakashi turned to Minato and let out a sigh.

"Still think I'm cut out for the job?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes I sure do," Minato laughed. "Now go, don't let the boy wait to long."

Kakashi let out a sigh in defeat. He walked Minato out before going to meet Sasuke on the trainings field. Why his former sensei had so much faith in him was beyond him. He knew nothing about dealing with six year old brats, especially if they had seen their entire clan murdered.

**0000000000000**

Kakashi woke up from a scream coming from across the hall. He got up; feeling slightly drowsy and walked to the room of the boy he was blackmailed into taking in a few months back. After his former sensei had talked some sense in the boy he had started to train him. Since then things had been a bit better between the two, although Sasuke wanted to do more than basic Taijutsu. Even though it annoyed Kakashi, he did understand the boy better on the trainings field. That was his thing reading people through their fighting, not dealing with emotions in daily life. He himself just put all those painful things in a box and stored them away, right where they belonged; in the past.

He opened the door and saw the kid tossing and turning is his sleep. Kakashi let out a sigh; this hadn't been the first nightmare. Truth be told the boy wasn't sleeping much because of it and when Kakashi had finally agreed an training him the boy was somewhere else with his mind. He was sloppy and unfocussed. Kakashi walked to the bed, where the boy let out another agonizing scream. Maybe he was too hard on the boy, but pity wasn't going to make someone grow. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on the kid's shoulder, shaking him awake. The boy shot up, his eyes wide open in terror and his face glistering with sweat. The boy looked at Kakashi, his eyes still glazed by what he thought was the nightmare. Kakashi studied the boy as he let out a few coughs. He frowned and placed a hand on his forehead. The skin was burning and he cursed. That explained a few things.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting a cold?" he asked, but the boy did not answer. "Sasuke?"

Kakashi shook his head and made the boy lay down again. He got a cold cloth and placed it over the kid's forehead. Sasuke just lay there staring at the ceiling. Kakashi left the room to find some cold medicine. Now where had he put that stuff again? He hardly ever got a cold himself, so he never used it. He did have some, because Minato had given it to him a couple of weeks back. "Just in case." Now Kakashi understood and he cursed again. Kids get sick all the time… he remembered getting sick a couple of times when he was little. His memory was a bit hazy on how parents would deal with that. He glanced at the clock and decided that three am wasn't the time to call his old sensei.

After half an hour of going through the house with no result he decided he would buy some in the morning. He went back to Sasuke's room and heard the boy coughing. He sat on the edge of the bed wondering on what to do.

"Go back to sleep," he said, patting the boy's hair awkwardly and left the room.

The rest of the night Kakashi didn't sleep a wink. He was up all night listening for screams, coughs or other signs that the boy was not okay. By morning Sasuke's fever had gone up and the boy refused to eat or take the medicine that Kakashi had gotten him.

Frustrated Kakashi had just left the boy's room, he sat down on his couch downstairs. He heard a knock on his door and went to open it. His old sensei was standing there with Naruto. Right today he was supposed to look after Naruto too…

Minato raised his brow at him and Kakashi gave him a look that told him not to comment or to ask. Minato didn't and just lead Naruto in Kakashi's new apartment.

"Well I should get going. Sure you're okay?" Minato asked.

"Just go…"

"Alright, I'll pick him up tonight," Minato answered and then left.

Naruto gave him a curious blue eyed stare and Kakashi raised a brow.

"What is it kid?"

"Had bad dreams?"

Kakashi looked surprised at the six year olds comment. So he looked sleep deprived enough to worry a six year old. Great just great…

The boy looked around the living room looking for something.

"Where is Sasuke?" the blue eyed boy asked and as if on queue a coughing fit was heard down the hallway. Naruto went to investigate and Kakashi figured it was best to follow. The blond boy walked over to Sasuke and took the empty glass from the bedside table. He left the room to fill it, before he got back and handed it to Sasuke. The dark haired boy glared and continued to cough. Naruto just pushed the glass in his hands. Kakashi watched the scene from the doorway.

Naruto put the now empty glass on the bedside table and saw the cold medicine, recognizing it. His dad had given it to him when he had a cold. Like he had seen Minato do before he put a sachet of the stuff in the glass and filled it with water. He held the glass in front of Sasuke who glared at it before glaring at Naruto.

"Take it, it'll make you better," Naruto stated, but Sasuke shook his head. "Why not?"

"It tastes bad…" he answered as he gave the glass a disgusted look. "It's sour."

This made Naruto frown as he thought on the comment. He got up and took the glass to the kitchen. He looked through Kakashi's kitchen and found what he was looking for. Kakashi was just about to ask Naruto what he was doing when he saw the boy put some sugar in the glass and mixing it with the medicine. The boy took the glass back to Sasuke and gave it to him.

"There is sugar in it," he stated with a beaming smile.

Sasuke eyed the glass suspiciously before taking a sip. He decided that it tasted good enough and emptied the glass.

"Now you should sleep," Naruto ordered, earning himself yet another glare. "I can read you a story."

Sasuke looked absolutely murderous and turned his back to Naruto throwing the blankets over himself.

The day went on and Naruto happily took care of Sasuke and Sasuke somewhat did what Naruto told him. By the end of the day Kakashi had developed a twitch in his eye because of frustration, making him look slightly insane at times. Naruto had asked questions about that: "'Kashi, your eye is strange." Kakashi decided to ignore the questions and prayed the day would be over soon. The fact that a six year old did a better job at taking care of a sick Sasuke then him did bruise his pride. He had done something bad and the Gods seemed to hate him, because when Minato came to pick up Naruto, the boy told his father what happened that day, in detail.

Minato gave Kakashi one look and fell into a laughing fit. Kakashi gave him a glare, but this only made things worse.

"I'm glad you're amused," Kakashi commented bitterly.

Minato tried to stop laughing, he honestly did, but no matter what he just couldn't. He knew how Kakashi felt when he had seen him that morning and the way he looked now confirmed it. He had been up night after night because of Naruto, so he knew the feeling. Kakashi was standing before him looking like a worried parent who didn't know what to do, but instead of a new born and worrying about diapers or feeding, this was a sick six year old.

Minato pulled himself together and placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I know."

Kakashi gave him a questioning look and Minato gave him a smile.

"When Naruto first got sick I rushed him to the hospital. The nurses told me it was just a cold and the next day he was just about healthy. Trail and error Kakashi, trial and error."

Kakashi felt even more stupid now. He didn't have the desire to become a parent, ever and yet he looked like one. He let out a sigh.

"If it makes you feel better I can check up on him," Minato said with a slight playful smirk.

"Whatever makes you happy," Kakashi answered, tiredly.

Minato gave him a nod and went to check up on Sasuke. He was sleeping peacefully and his fever had gone down.

"He should be fine in a couple of days," Minato said to Kakashi. "Just make sure he drinks enough and have him eat soup if he doesn't want to eat anything else."

"Yeah, yeah I got it."

Minato picked up Naruto, ready to go home. "If you need me you know where to find me."

Kakashi gave a slight wave, signalling he understood. When Minato and Naruto had gone home, he lay down on the couch and was asleep instantly.

**0000000000000**

It was cold outside, even for February. Today Minato didn't mind sitting in his office doing paperwork. Naruto had been impossible for the last couple of days. Sasuke had beaten him in a spar when Naruto was over at Kakashi's. When he gotten home he was very clear on the matter: it was no fair that Sasuke was stronger then him. So he had bugged Minato about training. He wanted to learn something cool. Minato had told him that he would stick to the basics only and would learn Naruto 'cool' Jutsu when he was older. Naruto wasn't happy and was resorting to sulking and disobeying Minato in every way possible.

So now Minato was sitting at his desk reading mission reports. It was nice and quiet and Kakashi could deal with his son today. That sounded unfair, but Naruto was just different around Kakashi and his former student could be very strict if he wanted to. He was very proud of him and the way Kakashi handled Sasuke now a days. The dark haired boy seemed to talk a little more and allowed himself to grieve, even if he shut himself in his room to do so. Sasuke seemed pretty relaxed around Kakashi and Kakashi had earned some credit by helping Sasuke work on his family fire Jutsu. Even though Minato had not agreed on that, feeling that the boy was still too young, it seemed it was the right thing to do. The down side was that this had Naruto jealous, but Minato was going to stick to basics with Naruto. Even if Naruto was going to give him hell about it, he was his son and that was just unfortunate for the boy.

He forced himself back into concentration. These mission reports needed his attention now, he would deal with the other stuff when he was back home. He had made the mistake of letting his private life interfere with his work as Hokage once and it cost them dearly. Itachi was still to be found and he could only pray that Sasuke would turn out okay. He let out a sigh and focussed on the report of an S-classed mission in front of him. The old man Sarutobi had asked him to send some ANBU to check up on Orochimaru. The man who was the third Hokage's former student had fled the village after his forbidden Jutsu's were discovered. Sarutobi feared that it would be those Jutsu that would come back to haunt them again. The report told him nothing new on the matter and he had already gotten the info from the ANBU before. He put the report in the folder and went on to the next one. It would be nice to have an assistant to do these things. Being Hokage was only 'cool' when the village was in danger. In daily life he was nothing but a hero doing paperwork. There probably was something noble in that too.

There was a knock on the door and Minato looked up from the report.

"Enter."

His eyes went wide at the new stack of paper that entered his office. Today was going to be a long, long day.

"These need to be signed, Hokage-sama."

"Just put them… somewhere."

The papers were placed on an empty spot on his desk. Minato glared at the papers and the person who brought them in quickly left the office. Minato let out a sigh as he felt a presence enter his office through the window.

"Use the door," he said annoyed to the new presence, which probably was Kakashi.

"The pot and the kettle," was the answer.

Minato turned around with his chair and his eyes went wide.

"Long time no see."

**So a little more on Sasuke this time. This chapter wasn't planned, it wrote itself. I guess Sasuke needed some spotlight too and it gave me some change to work on the interaction between Sasuke and Naruto.**

**I'm sorry for those of you who wanted more of the Uchiha to live. I hope that this makes up for killing all of them. **

**I know that people like to leave suggestions; I've had a couple of them. I'm sorry if I don't use them very often. The storyline is pretty much set, but I do take any suggestion into consideration, so please keep sending them. If I have room for it in the story I will surely use it!**

**Please leave a review, I would really like the feedback. I'm not a writer that will only continue with a certain amount of review, but I do like them. **

**So let me know your thoughts, feelings and idea's on this chapter or other chapters and remember that it's the readers that make a story truly great!**

**21-12-2011:**

**I did some editing on some of the chapters. I was rereading what I have so far and came across some stupid mistakes. It's nothing life altering and the base of the story is still the same. It was mostly that I changed Naruto's age, because when the idea of the story came to my mind, Naruto was older at the start of the story. Later on I made him a couple of years younger. I had forgotten to also change that in the first chapters. I'm sorry for that... **

**If anyone notices more mistakes, please let me know and I'll correct them.**


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